Monday, December 19, 2016

I found out late last week that a potential buyer of the FJ was planning a flight out to see the truck on Monday. I believe it was Thursday afternoon when I reached out to Alex at Driven Perfection to see if he could fit the truck into his schedule for a full interior and exterior detail, hoping for Saturday morning. Of course he accommodated my request. I was all set to drop the truck off on Saturday morning and he was going to give me a call when it was done.

Perfect. Right?

Well, late Friday night I looked at the forecast on my phone and realized we were supposed to get hit with a gross snow (then later rain) storm. I texted Alex and asked if it was possible to reschedule the appointment as I knew I would be driving away from having my truck freshly detailed in a slushy mess. Alex told me not to worry and that I could leave the truck in his garage all weekend until the foul weather passed. So, needless to say before even dropping my truck off, I was greatly impressed with his service.

I had had my G detailed by Driven Perfection a few years back and it came out beautiful, so I was not concerned with the work they would do on the FJ. When I picked the truck up a little while ago, it made me regret even considering selling. The truck looks great. As if I drove it off the lot today. Amazing inside and out!

Thank you again, Alex and all the guys at Driven Perfection. You certainly have my business in the future. I look forward to bringing my Z over to these guys once it is put together…

It was starting to get dark as I picked up the truck, but I managed to snap a few pictures with my phone…

Friday, November 25, 2016

This post is a day late, but I just want to wish all the readers/followers of JDMphasis a Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy your families, friends, and loved ones. Enjoy the day. Enjoy the season.A random shot of the sick Varis Kamikaze-Z to get you going…

Though I often struggle to keep this blog updated, I am thankful for my readers and followers. There are a select few of you guys who have been around since day 1. I truly appreciate all the support. That said, anyone who would like a JDMphasis sticker, please shoot me a message at JDMphasis@gmail.com (include a mailing address). I am happy to send you some free of charge.

Thursday, November 17, 2016

About a week ago I came across a post on Facebook from a Z enthusiast page with which I agreed wholeheartedly and genuinely respected. It was urging consumers to support innovation by purchasing authentic parts, as opposed to the imitation. The post:

Hey Fam, It's Come To My Attention That There Is Now Imitators Trying to Replicate Our Louvers. Thank you for supporting the one & ONLY Official @Louvergang Family!

Okay. I respect that. I am not particularly fond of the recent louver craze myself, but if these guys are, in fact, bringing a new, desired product to the market for Z guys, then I am on board and like the fact that they are encouraging support for innovation and originality. The complete message:

Some highlights of the post:

When you purchase a new part from the group who innovated the technology, you are supporting further innovation in the community we all love. It takes more than blood sweat and tears to truly innovate in our culture. It takes comparatively nothing to make a cheap low quality copy of that innovation, yet it stunts community growth by rewarding those who steal and do not innovate.

Just as you worked hard for your money, real parts manufacturers and small businesses alike have broken their backs and made huge sacrifices to innovate new products for us.

…this is still a direct attack on our livelihood and a genuine crime. This is a theft of our intellectual property, and a mockery of our hard work. As a community, we cannot tolerate this blatant plagiarism. Please do your part to keep our community thriving. Educate yourself, know what you're buying. Think about sustainability and what your build reflects upon you.

PREACH!Oh… Wait… Just a few days later, I see this post from the same Z enthusiast page:

A shot of a slammed Z34 with Nismo aero, right?

No. Replica aero with a link to the hack company that makes it.So, let me get this straight… It is okay to rip off Nismo, but it is not okay to replicate the parts that this page produces? Is that not a bit hypocritical? If one is going to make the strong, assertive statements that are posted above, should that mentality not apply across the board?By not only posting, featuring, and praising builds with fake parts, but by linking the marauding companies that produce those parts, this page is doing the exact opposite of what they preach above. This page is "[stunting] community growth by rewarding (ahem…advertising) for those who steal and do not innovate."Come on!BE THE FUNK. DON'T FAKE IT.

Friday, October 28, 2016

I am not sure if I posted this at the time, but I leased my FJ two years ago. I leased it with the intention of buying it at the end of the lease period. I knew I wanted that truck. It was a conscious decision to give myself a lower monthly payment for two years. Knowing I was planning to buy the truck at the end of the lease, I had no hesitation in modifying it. Well, I have just recently finalized the financing work on the truck. This has got me thinking...As I have posted in the past, I love this truck. It is the best daily driver I have ever owned. However, I have been contemplating selling it lately for a few reasons.

I want to keep modifying it. There are so many things I want to do to this truck. I know I should hold back. It is my daily driver. It is meant to get me to and from work and out and about to do everyday things. I am not supposed to want to modify it like a toy. Right? Not only that, but every time I walk out of my building at work, which is located in a less-than-safe city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, I find myself wondering if my spare tire (which happens to be mounted to a 18" Volk TE37) is still going to be mounted to the rear door. Not that working in an unsavory neighborhood should affect decisions such as this, but I just do not want to worry about things like this.

I feel like I have neglected the Z because of this project. Yes, I have a bevy of nice Japanese parts piled up and ready to make their way onto the Z, but I could also be much further along if every penny I spent on the FJ went into the Z. That is not to say that I have regrets with the FJ. At all. I love it and I love what I have done to it, but I also have a completely stock Z that is not getting the love it deserves.

When I leased the FJ, I got locked in to a buy-out price of what the truck was worth in 2014. As 2014 was the last year the FJ was produced, the demand for them is high. In short, looking at the book value of this truck with the current mileage, I could make a few dollars selling the FJ.

I am not sure what I should do. The extra money in my pocket would be nice. I could do a few responsible "adult" things with it and then I could put a few dollars aside for a down payment on a new daily that I would not be so tempted to modify. Then, of course, I could devote more of my attention to the Z. I am in no rush at this time, but I am very seriously considering what I should do with this truck. If I had millions of dollars, I know I would not even be considering selling this truck. Unfortunately, I am not a millionaire.

In case you may be interested (or know someone who may be), here are the details of the truck. I would be willing to sell as-is or possibly part it out. It all comes down to offers, money, and what a potential buyer is looking for in an FJ.

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Arguably the most popular hood design for the Z33 platform perfected by Matchless Crowd Racing (MCR) has been ripped off by a company in Thailand. Corner-cutters rejoice. "Ballers won't be happy" is a statement I noticed in a forum post announcing this discovery. I would suggest that denouncing this product has very little to do with being a "baller." There is a difference between taking a certain pride in your project by supporting authenticity, originality, and innovation and then just cutting corners and faking the funk.

Tell me how great the fitment is. Tell me how the MCR product is not available in carbon fiber making this acceptable. Tell me that replica companies are good because they bring more options to the market for Z enthusiasts. Tell me how the wait times for the real thing are too tedious to bear. Tell me that people who dislike knock-off and replica parts are just haters who like spending money unnecessarily. I. Do. Not. Care. It is irrelevant. The design is stolen. The work and effort that has gone into the original has been undermined. Intellectual property theft is a real thing. The ultimate goal for these parasitic companies is not to be the savior to the aftermarket tuning community. It is to put money into their pockets. Easy money. Money made from a product they have not researched, created, or designed. Refuse to buy fake parts. Be the Funk. Don't Fake It.

Oh, and it appears as though there may be fake Garage Mak aero, as well… Delightful.

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

My affinity for
the parts of the Japanese Domestic Market is not based on a personal assessment
of performance superiority. It is about design, quality, and attention to
detail. Likely my biggest obsession of the industry, Power House Amuse is
quite possibly the superlative of JDM parts. Hardly boring or run-of-the-mill,
the products that come out of their facility in Chiba are not simply functional
components to be admired momentarily pre-installation only to be forsaken
shortly after brusque acknowledgment of any performance benefit or gain. Every
Amuse part contains an all-too-real element of genuine automotive artistry.